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The Courage to Change Course

The Courage to Change Course

July 6, 2021

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
― Maya Angelou

In the Spring of 2021 McKinsey launched their inaugural American Opportunity Survey that spotlights Americans’ views on economic opportunity, the obstacles they face, and the path ahead to create a more inclusive economy. Combining market-research and opinion-polling, they surveyed 25,000 Americans.

The findings, each worthy of an in-depth discussion include: the impact of the pandemic on optimism, existing inequalities, financial hardship, the barriers to accessing health care and childcare, the fear of rural Americans being left behind, and how gig economy and freelance workers prefer permanent employment.

One of the most interesting findings was that four in ten Americans are either enrolled or interested in pursuing training to advance a career change. Technology and artificial intelligence have significantly altered the very nature of work. This is weighing heavily on the minds of many Americans. People are becoming increasingly aware that reskilling is necessary to meet the qualifications for the jobs that will be available in the coming decades. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) estimates that 17 million US workers will need to change occupations, or jobs within the same occupation, over the next ten years. This trend disproportionately affects workers of color and those without college degrees. What I found encouraging from the survey was that nearly half of all respondents (49 percent) reported a willingness to change occupations if necessary to meet current and emerging employment demands.

People are expressing courage to step into the unknown to prepare for a future few of us fully understand. The self-doubt around this kind of change can be crippling, particularly for people with barriers. At The Fedcap Group, it is our job to help individuals walk through that fear and get to the other side.

An interesting article in Wharton Magazine written by executive coach Jennifer Chow Bevan advises that every action an individual takes to make a career change helps to quiet self-doubts and effect the desired result. She stresses that while we need to acknowledge people’s fears, we must also ensure that it doesn’t lead to emotional paralysis. We need to help people take the required steps to build their courage “muscle”.

This rings true for me.

The Fedcap Group is committed to helping people achieve long term economic wellbeing. To be effective in this mission, it means that we do several things well. First, we have to ensure that we are offering the right kind of training. Courses that are relevant to the realities of today’s job market. Courses that hold promise for career growth. The trends in technology and automation were the drivers behind our relatively recent combinations with Apex Technical School and Civic Hall—two dynamic organizations committed to elevating people’s skills and marketability.

Next, we have to be present and authentic as we help people face the fears that accompany this new learning and risk taking. This is where we must demonstrate the humanity of our mission. Changing course is never easy, it is fraught with “what ifs” that can be immobilizing. When hiring people to work in our field, we need to recruit individuals who are both caring and competent—who have both intellect and the ability to inspire, those who have patience and can see possibility.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

6 julio 2021

El Coraje de Cambiar el Rumbo

“El coraje es la más importante de todas las virtudes, porque sin valor, no se puede practicar ninguna otra virtud consistentemente”.
– Maya Angelou

En la primavera de 2021, McKinsey lanzó su encuesta inaugural American Opportunity Survey que destacaba las opiniones de los estadounidenses sobre las oportunidades económicas, los obstáculos que enfrentan y el camino a seguir para crear una economía más incluyente. Combinando la investigación de mercado y las encuestas de opinión; encuestaron a 25,000 estadounidenses.

Los hallazgos, cada uno digno de una discusión en profundidad, incluían: el impacto de la pandemia en el optimismo, las desigualdades existentes, las dificultades financieras, las barreras para acceder tanto a la atención médica como al cuidado infantil, el miedo a que los campesinos estadounidenses se quedaran atrás, y así cómo la economía independiente y que los trabajadores temporales preferían el empleo permanente.

Uno de los hallazgos más interesantes, fue que cada cuatro de diez estadounidenses estaban inscritos o interesados en seguir un entrenamiento para avanzar en un cambio de carrera. La tecnología y la inteligencia artificial han alterado significativamente la naturaleza misma del trabajo. Esto está pesando mucho en las mentes de muchos estadounidenses. La gente es cada vez más consciente de que la recapacitación es necesaria para cumplir con las calificaciones para los puestos de trabajo que estarán disponibles en las próximas décadas. El McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) estima que 17 millones de trabajadores estadounidenses necesitarán cambiar de ocupación, o de trabajos dentro de la misma ocupación, en los próximos diez años. Esta tendencia afectará desproporcionadamente a los trabajadores de color y a aquellos sin títulos universitarios. Lo que me pareció alentador de la encuesta fue que casi la mitad de todos los encuestados (49 por ciento) informaron su voluntad de cambiar de ocupación, si es necesario para satisfacer las demandas actuales y emergentes de empleo.

La gente está expresando valor para entrar en lo desconocido para prepararse para un futuro que pocos de nosotros entendemos completamente. El dudar de uno mismo/a en torno a este tipo de cambio puede ser paralizante, particularmente para las personas con cualquier tipo de barreras. En The Fedcap Group, es nuestro trabajo es ayudar a las personas a navegar a través de ese miedo y llegar al otro lado.
Un artículo interesante en Wharton Magazine escrito por la entrenadora ejecutiva Jennifer Chow Bevan; aconseja que cada acción que un individuo tome para hacer un cambio de carrera; ayuda a calmar las dudas de uno mismo/a y producir el resultado deseado. Subraya que si bien tenemos que reconocer los miedos de las personas, también debemos asegurarnos de que no conduzca a una parálisis emocional. Tenemos que ayudar a las personas a tomar las medidas necesarias para construir el “músculo” del valor.

Esto Me Suena Cierto.

The Grupo Fedcap se compromete a ayudar a las personas a lograr el bienestar económico a largo plazo. Para ser eficaces en esta misión; significa que hacemos varias cosas bien. En primer lugar, tenemos que asegurarnos de que ofrecemos el tipo adecuado de capacitación. Cursos que son relevantes para las realidades del mercado laboral actual. Cursos que son prometedores para el crecimiento profesional. Las tendencias en tecnología y automatización fueron las impulsoras detrás de nuestras combinaciones relativamente recientes con Apex Technical School y Civic Hall; dos organizaciones dinámicas comprometidas a elevar las capacidades y la comercialización de las personas.

A continuación, tenemos que estar presentes y ser auténticos mientras ayudamos a las personas tanto a enfrentar los miedos que acompañan a este nuevo aprendizaje como la toma de riesgos. Aquí es donde debemos demostrar la humanidad de nuestra misión. Cambiar de rumbo nunca es fácil, está plagado de “qué pasaría si” que pueden ser paralizantes. Al contratar a personas para trabajar en nuestro campo; necesitamos reclutar a personas que sean a la vez cuidadosos y competentes; que tengan tanto intelecto como la capacidad de inspirar a aquellos que tengan paciencia y puedan ver una posibilidad.

Como siempre, espero sus comentarios.

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Do One Thing Differently

Do One Thing Differently

June 28, 2021

“You see, doing one thing differently is very often the same as doing everything differently.”

― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library

I was grocery shopping this morning and I saw that my local market decided to continue some of the practices started during the pandemic. Prior to COVID-19 people would enter and exit from the same doors. Now, we all enter through one door and exit another. This may seem like a small thing, but it certainly is more efficient. It makes finding carts and baskets easier and it improves the flow of traffic in the store—generally a smart idea. Similarly, a local restaurant moved to using technology that allows you to scan and read the menu from your phone, eliminating the use of paper. Most likely this innovation would have come anyway, but the pandemic increased the demand for touchless processes. Further, we all have seen a significant increase in the use of telemedicine―especially for routine questions and ailments. A teleconference allows the doctor to see you with no need to travel when sick, no need to expose others and so on. While this practice was in place prior to the pandemic, it ushered in an exponential increase in the use of telemedicine. These are just a few of the hundreds―if not thousands―of examples of what the pandemic taught us about doing one thing differently.

As we move past the pandemic, many of the CEOs I talk to are institutionalizing practices that they established during the pandemic. Use of technology to reduce travel costs for large meetings, increased staff communications via video, a staff hotline for health and family issues, and so on. Many of us tried something different and had very good results. We focused on solutions and tested new ideas every single day until we found something that worked.

Recently, I have been thinking about not just sustaining good ideas that resulted from the restrictions of the pandemic, but more importantly, maintaining the focus on “doing one thing differently” as a means of problem solving. The pandemic required that we do this―rapidly. As we turn the corner, this approach is no longer required. We should find ways to use it anyway. We need to concretize the process of looking for single points in our procedures that are flawed, and rapidly retool them. As Bill O’Hanlon discusses in his book Do One Thing Different, rather than get caught up in analysis paralysis, do something. Try one small intervention to change an outcome.   

Getting better at what we do has always been a core objective for The Fedcap Group. Given our learning from the pandemic, I intend to ask one very basic question more often: “What is one thing that we can do differently to reduce mistakes, improve efficiencies and outcomes and enhance engagement?” And then I intend to make sure that once leaders test their ideas, they come back and share the results―successful or not―to enhance the learning of our community.

I welcome your thoughts and your “takeaways” from the business lessons learned during the pandemic.

28 junio, 2021

“Ves, hacer una cosa de manera diferente es muy a menudo lo mismo que hacer todo de manera diferente”.

― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library

Estaba comprando comestibles esta mañana y vi que mi mercado local decidió continuar con algunas de las prácticas iniciadas durante la pandemia. Las personas que entraban y salían por las mismas puertas. Ahora, todos entramos por una puerta y salimos por la otra. Esto puede parecer una cosa pequeña, pero sin duda es más eficiente. Hace que encontremos tanto los carritos como las cestas de supermercado más fácilmente y que mejora el flujo de tráfico en la tienda; generalmente es una idea inteligente. Del mismo modo, un restaurante de mi localidad comenzó a utilizar una tecnología que le permite escanear y leer el menú desde tu teléfono móvil, eliminando el uso de papel. Lo más probable es que esta innovación nos hubiera llegado de todos modos; pero la pandemia aumentó la demanda de procesos sin contacto. Además, todos hemos visto un aumento significativo en el uso de la telemedicina, especialmente para dudas y padecimientos. Una teleconferencia permite al médico verte, sin necesidad de viajar cuando estés enfermo/a, y sin necesidad de exponer a los demás y así sucesivamente. Si bien esta práctica se llevaba a cabo antes de la pandemia; marcó el comienzo de un aumento potencial en el uso de la telemedicina. Estos son solo algunos de los cientos; si no miles de ejemplos de lo que la pandemia nos enseñó sobre cómo hacer una cosa diferentemente.

A medida que superamos la pandemia, muchos de los Presidentes Ejecutivos con los que he estado hablando; están institucionalizando prácticas que establecieron durante la pandemia. Como el uso de la tecnología, para reducir los costos de viaje para grandes juntas, el aumento de las comunicaciones con el personal a través del video, una línea telefónica directa del personal para tanto para asuntos de salud como de la familia, etc. Muchos de nosotros tratamos algo diferente y tuvimos muy buenos resultados. Nos centramos en soluciones y probamos nuevas ideas todos los días hasta que encontramos algo que funcionó.

Recientemente, he estado pensando no solo en mantener las buenas ideas que resultaron a causa de las restricciones de la pandemia, sino, lo que es más importante, mantener el enfoque en “hacer una cosa diferentemente” como un medio para resolver problemas. La pandemia requería que lo hiciéramos rápidamente. En cuanto damos vuelta de hoja; este enfoque ya no es necesario. Deberíamos encontrar maneras de usarlo de todos modos. Necesitamos concretar el proceso de buscar objetivos únicos en nuestros procesos que son defectuosos, y reestructurarlos rápidamente. Como Bill O’Hanlon lo discute en su libro “Do one Thing Differently”; en lugar de quedar atrapado en la parálisis del análisis, hacer algo. Prueba un pequeño procedimiento para cambiar un resultado.   

Mejorar en lo que hacemos; siempre ha sido un objetivo central para The Fedcap Group. Debido a nuestro aprendizaje de la pandemia; tengo la intención de hacerme una pregunta muy básica más a menudo; ¿Cuál sería una cosa que pudiéramos hacer de manera diferente para reducir las equivocaciones, mejorar la eficiencia y los resultados y realzar el compromiso?  “Y luego tengo planeado el asegurarme de que una vez que los líderes, hayan probado sus ideas; regresen y me compartan los resultados; exitosos o no; para mejorar con ello, el aprendizaje de nuestra comunidad.

Agradezco tus consejos y tus “conclusiones” de las lecciones empresariales aprendidas durante la pandemia.

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Technology: A Tool for Managing Employee Health

Technology: A Tool for Managing Employee Health

June 21, 2021

Recently, Plante Moran – one of the largest audit and wealth management firms in the United States – surveyed nonprofit leaders about the impact of COVID 19 on 2021 priorities and future planning. I found the responses to the survey mirrored some of our own thinking about how to better use technology to improve all aspects of operations.

In the survey, sixty-seven percent of respondents said their top technology priority is improving performance of existing systems, closely followed by mitigating cybersecurity risks, systems integration, and improving their social media and online presence. 

Most respondents discussed the need to leverage technology to:

  • Meet the needs of customers.
  • Track and analyze impact/outcomes to improve program performance.
  • Enhance donor relations.
  • Improve donations through mobile giving.
  • Provide services remotely.

One thing missing from the responses, something that The Fedcap Group is working on, is smart and effective ways to engage staff in using technology as a tool to improve the overall health of employees.

When the pandemic hit, The Fedcap Group acted rapidly. We established a Command Center and a staff hotline. We leveraged our Oracle system to create a safe and protected place where staff could discuss health concerns, ask questions, and/or simply share the stressors that COVID was having on their lives. While the work of the Command Center was remarkable, only a limited number of staff accessed the Oracle platform. More recently, we asked staff, via Oracle, if they are or plan to be vaccinated. This information would help us plan for staff moving back to their offices. Even with a great deal of encouragement, this too has been only moderately successful. 

I was curious as to why we were experiencing such a limited use of technology around employee health, so I spent a considerable amount of time checking in with staff to better understand some of the barriers we are facing. In my conversations, I learned several things:

  1. The user interface has to be simple and intuitive. The system cannot be challenging to use, if it is, staff will not take the time.
  2. Staff need to feel their very personal information will be protected. While some share personal information on Facebook for hundreds of friends to see, the workplace is a different story. We need to understand and appreciate this reluctance and reinforce in our communications how health care information is secure.
  3. Staff need to understand why we want the information. They are asking how we will use the aggregate information to improve the organization.
  4. The politicization of COVID impacted people’s response.

For the most part, these staff concerns are logical and expected. We have spent a great deal of time training staff on the benefits of technology in serving our clients and made great strides in becoming a data-driven organization. We use information to improve our services and to inspire service innovations. We have not however, spent the same amount of time helping staff understand how technology can be an effective tool to enhance the overall health of our employees. And we have not yet demonstrated on a consistent basis, how the health of our employees contributes to a more effective, successful organization.  

This is one of the priorities of The Fedcap Group in 2021. 

How are you engaging staff in conversations about technology and employee health? What strategies have been most effective to engage employees in online health/well-being discussions?  

As always, I welcome your thoughts!

21 Junio, 2021

Recientemente, Plante Moran -una de las firmas de auditoría y gestión de patrimonios más grande de los Estados Unidos- encuestó a líderes sin fines de lucro acerca del impacto del COVID 19 en las prioridades del 2021 y la planificación futura. Encontré que las respuestas a la encuesta reflejaban parte de nuestro propio criterio; sobre cómo usar mejor la tecnología para mejorar todos los aspectos de las operaciones.

En la encuesta, el sesenta y siete por ciento de los encuestados dijo que su principal prioridad tecnológica es mejorar el rendimiento de los sistemas existentes, seguido de cerca por la mitigación de los riesgos de ciberseguridad, la integración de sistemas y el mejoramiento tanto de sus redes sociales como de su presencia en línea. 

La mayoría de los encuestados hablaron de la necesidad de aprovechar la tecnología para:

  • Satisfacer las necesidades de los clientes.
  • Realizar un seguimiento y analizar el impacto y los resultados, para mejorar el rendimiento del programa.
  • Intensificar las relaciones con los donantes.
  • Mejorar las donaciones a través de donaciones con tecnologías móviles.
  • Proporcionar servicios de forma remota.

Una cosa que faltaba en las respuestas; algo en lo que The Fedcap Group está trabajando, son formas inteligentes y efectivas de involucrar al personal en el uso de la tecnología; como una herramienta para mejorar la salud general de los empleados.

Cuando llegó la pandemia, The Fedcap Group actuó rápidamente. Establecimos un Centro de Comando y una línea directa para el personal. Aprovechamos nuestro sistema Oracle para crear un lugar seguro y protegido donde el personal pudiera discutir problemas de salud, hacer preguntas o simplemente compartir los factores de estrés que covid estaba teniendo en sus vidas. Si bien el trabajo del Centro de Comando fue notable, solo un número limitado de personal accedió a la plataforma Oracle. Más recientemente, preguntamos al personal, a través de Oracle, si estaban o planeaban vacunarse. Esta información nos ayudaría a planificar el regreso del personal a sus oficinas. Incluso con mucho aliento, esto también ha tenido un éxito moderado. 

Tenía curiosidad por saber por qué estábamos experimentando un uso tan limitado de la tecnología en torno a la salud de los empleados, así que pasé una cantidad considerable de tiempo verificando con el personal para comprender mejor algunas de las barreras que enfrentábamos. En mis conversaciones, aprendí varias cosas:

  1. La conexión de usuario tiene que ser simple e intuitiva. El sistema no puede ser difícil de usar, si lo es, el personal no le dedicará el tiempo.
  2. El personal necesita sentir que su información personal estará protegida. Si bien algunos comparten información personal en Facebook para que cientos de amigos la vean, el lugar de trabajo es una historia diferente. Necesitamos entender y apreciar esta desconfianza y reforzar en nuestras comunicaciones; de cómo la información de atención médica es segura.
  3. El personal necesita entender por qué queremos la información. Se preguntan cómo usaremos la información agregada para mejorar la organización.
  4. La politización del COVID impactó en la respuesta de las personas.

En su mayor parte, estas preocupaciones del personal son lógicas y esperadas. Hemos pasado muchísimo tiempo capacitando al personal sobre los beneficios de la tecnología, en el servicio a nuestros clientes y hemos hecho grandes avances para convertirnos en una organización basada en datos. Utilizamos la información tanto para mejorar nuestros servicios como para inspirar innovaciones de los mismos. Sin embargo, no hemos pasado la misma cantidad de tiempo ayudando al personal a comprender cómo la tecnología puede ser una herramienta efectiva para mejorar la salud general de nuestros empleados. Y aún no hemos demostrado de manera consistente; cómo la salud de nuestros empleados contribuye a una organización más efectiva y exitosa.  

Esta es una de las prioridades del Fedcap Group en 2021. 

¿Cómo estás involucrando al personal en conversaciones acerca de la tecnología y la salud de los empleados? ¿Qué estrategias han sido más efectivas para involucrar a los empleados en conversaciones en línea sobre la salud y el bienestar?  

Como siempre, ¡agradezco tus opiniones!

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My Friend Herb Sturz

My Friend Herb Sturz

June 14, 2021

This week an icon left us and with his passing, the lights in New York City are a little less bright.

Herb was a giant with a big brain, a huge heart and tremendous passion for fairness and justice. Simply put, he saw wrongs and tried to right them. His genuineness and depth of character caused people around him to listen to what he had to say. He was the force behind significant social reform in New York City—but chose to work behind the scenes. He was too smart to believe that only one person had all of the answers, so he found creative ways to bring people together to solve problems– a pied piper of sorts who brought us all along to make the world more just.

Early in my tenure as the CEO of the Fedcap Group, I was introduced to Herb by Carol Kellerman, then President of the Citizens Budget Commission. This meeting changed the course of my work and our organization. It also changed me.

Herb mentored me—why he chose me I will never know, but I will be eternally grateful. He challenged ideas and asked me some of the smartest, most astute questions I have ever been asked. He helped me refine goals and think strategically. He taught me the art of planning important, system-changing advances, by practicing patience and taking incremental, tactical steps. He was the epitome of being “better together” and it was magical to watch him in action. He told me when I was doing a good job and maybe more importantly, when I wasn’t.

Herb was also my dear friend. Many Sunday mornings we went to breakfast, and I laughed until it hurt, as he shared his many remarkable stories. As was his way, he captivated people around him, including wait staff and people passing by our table, with his charm and wit. He had a twinkle in his eye that I will forever remember.

Over the past year or so, as his body was slowing down, his mind was ever on alert, looking for connections and opportunities to make a difference—doing this mattered to Herb.

How privileged we were to have this legend, who was at the same time such a lovely human being, walk among us for 90 years.

The Fedcap Group created this video to honor Herb and his many contributions to New York City. I hope you enjoy it.

Goodbye my dear friend, I will miss you.

14 junio 2021

Mi Querido Amigo Herb Sturz

Esta semana nos dejó un icono y con su fallecimiento, las luces en la ciudad de Nueva York están un poco menos brillantes.

Herb era un gigante con una gran mente, un gran corazón y una tremenda pasión por la equidad y la justicia. En pocas palabras, vio errores y trató de corregirlos. Su autenticidad y profundidad de carácter hicieron que la gente a su alrededor escuchara lo que tenía que decir. Él fue la fuerza detrás de una reforma social significativa en la ciudad de Nueva York, pero decidió trabajar detrás de bambalinas. Era demasiado inteligente para creer que sólo una persona tenía todas las respuestas, así que encontró formas creativas de reunir a la gente para resolver problemas, un especie de flautista que nos atrajo como imán todo el tiempo para hacer que el mundo fuera más justo.

Al principio de mi mandato como Presidenta Ejecutiva del Grupo Fedcap, Carol Kellerman, entonces Presidenta de Citizens Budget Commission, me presentó a Herb. Esta reunión cambió el curso de mi trabajo y de nuestra organización. Así como También me cambió a mí.
Herb me asesoró—por qué me eligió a mí, yo nunca lo sabré—, pero estaré eternamente agradecida. Desafió las ideas y me hizo algunas de las preguntas más inteligentes y astutas que nunca me habían hecho. Me ayudó a refinar metas y pensar estratégicamente. Me enseñó el arte de planificar avances importantes que cambiaran el sistema; practicando la paciencia y tomando pasos tácticos progresivamente. Él era la personificación de estar “mejor juntos” y era mágico verlo en acción. Me decía cuando estaba haciendo un buen trabajo y tal vez lo más importante era, cuando me decía que no lo estaba haciendo.
Herb también era mi muy querido amigo. Muchos domingos por la mañana íbamos a desayunar, y me reía con él hasta que me dolía, ya que compartía muchas de sus extraordinarias historias. Tal cual era su manera; él cautivó a la gente a su alrededor, incluyendo el personal del restaurante y a las personas que pasaban por nuestra mesa con su encanto e ingenio. Tenía un brillo en sus ojos que recordaré para siempre.

Durante el último año más o menos, a medida que su cuerpo decaía, su mente estaba siempre en alerta, buscando contactos y oportunidades para hacer la diferencia, hacer esto era lo que le importaba a Herb.
Qué privilegiados fuimos todos nosotros de tener a esta leyenda; que fue al mismo tiempo un ser humano tan encantador; caminar entre nosotros durante 90 años.

The Grupo Fedcap hizo este video para honrar a Herb y a sus muchas contribuciones a la ciudad de Nueva York. Espero que lo disfrutes.

Hasta pronto mi querido amigo, te echaré de menos.

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Seacoast Pathways Provides Empowerment Through Non-Clinical Mental Health Recovery

Seacoast Pathways Provides Empowerment Through Non-Clinical Mental Health Recovery

Seacoast Pathways volunteer Joe Hill writes for Portsmouth Patch on the Clubhouse model for recovery groups, and how it is a key to recovery for its members. Seacoast Pathways offers any adult with a referred mental illness free membership to its clubhouse. For further info email seacoastpathways@gmail.com or call 603-812-9031.

Read the full article on Portsmouth Patch.

To learn more about Seacoast Pathways in New Hampshire, visit their website: Seacoast Pathways.

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Is Our Thinking Evolving?

Is Our Thinking Evolving?

June 7, 2021

“When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” – Arthur Conan Doyle

It is summer and I am eager to get back to biking.

I love to bike. I always have. I have owned many different types of bikes and love mountain bikes, street bikes, cross country … and over the years, like most relatively serious bikers, I have fine-tuned my riding experience—almost.

I thoroughly enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes with biking. I enjoy the scenery, the sense of adventure, and I even enjoy the hills—both directions! And when I have completed a good ride, I love the feeling of accomplishment.

But the part that I may love most about biking is the planning for the next trip. I love the detail involved in every aspect and each phase of the planning. I have developed a checklist and I go through that list –in meticulous detail—building on my knowledge from previous trips.

Was my tire pressure appropriate to begin the trip? Did I keep it right for each phase of the trip? Did I carry the right amount of water? Food? Did I plan my breaks right? Was the trip too long? Too short? Did I carry the right gear? Do I need new gear? Did I carry the right equipment? Can I lessen the weight in any part of my bike without compromising the trip? Each trip feeds my knowledge base and thus, my planning. And no matter how long I have biked, I continue to learn and hone each biking experience.

And for those who bike with me, I make sure that they plan too. I learned this the hard way!

I am not sure where this focus on detail came from, but it drives me, possibly to a fault! Those with whom I work side by side know this. Every experience that I have had professionally feeds the next experience. Each interview with a prospective candidate drives the next interview. Every program launch informs the next launch. Every new acquisition is informed by past acquisitions. Every experience improves the quality of my planning and the depth and types of the questions I ask as I prepare.

Because I document my planning process, I have a history of how I have prepared for my many bike trips. Recently, I spent some time looking back over my journals and was struck by the difference in the questions I asked from my fledgling years as a biker to today. I was struck by the shift in how I planned and the way I organized. It was interesting to see the way my thinking about biking evolved and how this evolution impacted how I planned and executed each trip.

While I am not one that uses a lot of metaphors, I do think that there is a message here that should not be lost. People who want to improve evolve in how they approach a task. I look for evolution in thinking when I hire potential executives in the company. I look for individuals who have a process that they follow to improve how they solve problems and plan for the known and the unknown. And I spend a lot of time during the interview seeking to understand how their process has evolved. Because … evolution in thinking matters!

Someone asked me once in an interview and the question has always stuck with me:

“Do you have 25 years of experience or do you have one year of experience that you repeated 25 times?” In other words, did you evolve?

As always, I welcome your thoughts!

7 junio 2021

¿Está Evolucionando Nuestro Pensamiento?

“Cuando los ánimos están por los suelos, cuando el día parece negro, cuando el trabajo se vuelve monótono, cuando la esperanza apenas tenerla parece valer la pena , basta con montar una bicicleta y salir a dar una vuelta calle abajo, sin pensar en nada más que en el paseo que se está dando.” – Arthur Conan Doyle

Es verano y estoy ansiosa por volver a montar en bicicleta.

Me encanta andar en bicicleta. Siempre lo he hecho. He tenido muchos tipos diferentes de bicicletas y me encantan las bicicletas de montaña, las bicicletas para la ciudad, y las de todo terreno … y a lo largo de los años; como la mayoría de los ciclistas relativamente serios, casi, he afinado mi experiencia de andar en bicicleta así.

Disfruto muchísimo la sensación de libertad que me da el ciclismo. Disfruto del paisaje, el sentido de la aventura, e incluso disfruto de las colinas, ¡en ambas direcciones! Y cuando he completado un buen viaje en ella, me encanta la sensación de logro.

Pero la parte que más puede gustarme de andar en bicicleta; es la planificación para el próximo viaje. Me encanta el detalle involucrado en cada aspecto y en cada fase de la planificación. He fabricado una lista de verificación y voy a través de esa lista -con meticuloso detalle – basándome en mis conocimientos de viajes anteriores.

¿era la presión del aire de mis neumáticos apropiada, para comenzar el viaje? ¿Lo mantuve apropiado para cada fase del viaje? ¿Llevé la cantidad correcta de agua? ¿víveres? ¿Planeé bien mis descansos? ¿Fue el viaje demasiado largo? ¿Demasiado corto? ¿Llevé las herramientas adecuadas? ¿Necesito equipo nuevo? ¿Llevé el equipo adecuado? ¿Puedo disminuir el peso en cualquier parte de mi bicicleta sin poner en peligro el viaje? Cada viaje alimenta mi base de conocimientos y, por lo tanto, mi planificación. Y no importa cuánto tiempo haya montado en bicicleta, sigo aprendiendo y perfeccionando cada experiencia de ciclismo.

Y para aquellos que montan en bicicleta conmigo, me aseguro de que también planifiquen. Aprendí esto, de la forma más dura!

No estoy segura de dónde viene este enfoque en el detalle, pero me lleva, posiblemente a una culpa! Aquellos con los que trabajo codo a codo lo saben. Cada experiencia que he tenido profesionalmente alimenta la siguiente. Cada entrevista con un candidato potencial impulsa la siguiente entrevista. Cada programa lanzado, informa el próximo lanzamiento. Cada nueva adquisición se basa en adquisiciones anteriores. Cada experiencia mejora la calidad de mi planificación y la profundidad y los tipos de las preguntas que me hago mientras me preparo.

Debido a que documento mi proceso de planificación, tengo un historial de cómo me he preparado para mis muchos viajes en bicicleta. Recientemente, pasé algún tiempo rememorando en mis diarios y me llamó la atención la diferencia en las preguntas que me hice desde mis años novatos como ciclista hasta hoy. Me llamó la atención el cambio en la forma en que planeé y la manera en la que me organicé. Me pareció interesante ver la forma en que evolucionó mi pensamiento sobre el ciclismo y cómo esta evolución impactó en la manera cómo planeé y ejecuté cada viaje.

Si bien no soy de las que utilizan muchas metáforas, creo que hay un mensaje aquí que no debe perderse. Las personas que quieren mejorar evolucionan en la forma en que abordan una tarea. Busco la evolución de pensamiento cuando contrato a ejecutivos potenciales en la organización. Busco individuos que tengan un proceso que sigan, para mejorar la forma en que resuelven problemas y planifican tanto para lo conocido como para lo desconocido. Y paso mucho tiempo durante la entrevista tratando de entender cómo ha evolucionado su proceso. ¡Porque … la evolución en el pensamiento importa!

Alguien me preguntó una vez en una entrevista y la pregunta siempre se me ha quedado grabada:

“¿Tienes 25 años de experiencia o tienes un año de experiencia que se ha repetido 25 veces? ” En otras palabras, ¿evolucionaste?

!Como siempre, agradezco tus comentarios!

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Wildcat NYC and The Women’s Project Helps Women Heal

Wildcat NYC and The Women’s Project Helps Women Heal

Join us on June 9, 2021 for Building Bridges to Community: A special virtual event to support The Women’s Project

The Women’s Project (TWP) is a community whose collective work serves as an alternative to pre-trial detention and incarceration. Born out of conversations seeking ways to permanently decrease the number of women detained in city jails and state prisons, it is part of a larger partnership between Wildcat/The Fedcap Group, public defenders, and district attorney offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

A community of shared experience and expertise, TWP aims to create a space that “stops the noise that often prevents women from finding their individual power, the power that will help them live the lives they want and make their dreams real, no matter what challenges await,” said Valentina Morales, Senior Director of Justice Initiatives and Director of TWP.

Women are generally referred to TWP while they are detained. Working together with staff, community members focus on overall wellness, accessing services and resources related to health, healing and recovery, as well as furthering economic stability and building strong community support. A core tenet of TWP is building positive communications among community members, who learn together and grow together.

Learn more, and purchase tickets for a special virtual event to take place on June 9, 2021, on the Wildcat website.

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Fedcap Employment Awarded £233 Million (US $330 Million) to Deliver UK Government’s Back to Work Scheme

Fedcap Employment Awarded £233 Million (US $330 Million) to Deliver UK Government’s Back to Work Scheme

--Will Leverage Employment Services Expertise to Assist 132,100 People Return to the Workforce--

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, June 4, 2021 – Fedcap Employment UK, a subsidiary of The Fedcap Group, has been chosen by the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver the Restart Scheme in the South Central area of England – covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We have also been awarded a subcontract for the North West area of England including Lancashire and Cheshire East. Fedcap Employment was the only non-profit to be awarded these contracts, which have a 4.5-year term.

Announced last year under the Commercial Agreement for the Provision of Employment and Health Related Services (CAEHRS) framework, the service provides support for people who have been directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and have been unemployed between 12-18 months.

Fedcap will offer an individualized mix of face to face and virtual support to assist 132,100 individuals develop their employment skills, obtain training in high growth sectors and secure employment.

Christine McMahon, President and CEO of The Fedcap Group said, “The Fedcap Group believes in the importance of work, seeking to create opportunities for individuals to achieve economic wellbeing. We are pleased to have this opportunity to leverage the skills and experience we have developed over our 86-year history to assist governments as they rebuild and transform their economies and the lives of citizens impacted by the pandemic. We are honored that the UK Department for Work and Pensions has chosen us as a partner, and we will work diligently to meet and exceed expectations.”

Grant Collins, President, Workforce Development for The Fedcap Group noted, “The Fedcap Group is one of the highest performing employment support providers, helping 250,000 people annually advance–through education, jobs, career training and coaching. We are committed to assisting individuals achieve societal inclusion and economic wellbeing and look forward to working on this innovative scheme to support those whose livelihoods were lost or impacted due to the pandemic.”

About Fedcap Employment UK
Fedcap Employment delivers services across England and Scotland helping people find suitable and sustainable work. The organization delivers an array of employment schemes including the Intensive Personalized Employment Support and Links to Work. Fedcap Scotland is the majority owner of StartScotland, which delivers Fair Start Scotland.

About The Fedcap Group
For 86 years, The Fedcap Group has developed innovative and scalable solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems. Serving over 250,000 people each year in the US, the UK and Canada, The Fedcap Group provides education and training, workforce and economic development and necessary supports—all targeted to helping people achieve economic wellbeing.

For more information, please contact Rose Anello at 646.830.9008 or RAnello@fedcap.org.

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Rachel Grygier

Rachel Grygier

“I can’t wait to have a job I like with a supervisor that understands that I am a person, I can learn, and has patience to teach me. I am Rachel first and I just happen to have a disability. That is me and I like me.” — Rachel Grygier

Rachel and her mother, Sharon

Rachel, 28, was born into a military family in Rapid City, SD, and lived in many different cities growing up. During her early years, Rachel enjoyed being around animals and taking care of them, and she loved to hold family friends’ babies. Rachel had a best friend who also had a disability, and they enjoyed sleepovers and just hanging out.

Rachel has been engaged with MVLE—an agency that creates futures for people with disabilities, and is dedicated to assisting individuals achieve integrated community employment—since receiving her high school graduation certificate. After graduation, Rachel and her mom, Sharon Bartlett, toured a number of facilities that offered services to adults with intellectual disabilities, and found MVLE to be a great fit.

Rachel began working with the janitorial crew in MVLE’s offices, and as her job skills got stronger, her job coaches began looking for outside employment. Rachel interviewed at a number of businesses and fell in love with Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church. She was hired, and loves her job as a custodian, cleaning the church and its preschool.

“It was all so nice,” Rachel said. “I felt like a leader. I helped others and my co-workers.”

The job ended in January 2020, and Rachel was working with MVLE to find another position when the pandemic hit. At first Sharon and her husband were concerned that Rachel would regress without her job and familiar routine, but the opposite happened. Rachel rose to the occasion, participating in MVLE’s three daily meetings and work readiness sessions on Zoom, which provided a structure to her day.

Rachel and Sharon, who is a special education teacher, also developed a productive daily routine, with Rachel helping out with laundry, vacuuming, cooking, cleaning and walking the dogs, while Sharon taught her classes online.

Today, Sharon is teaching in person four days per week while Rachel continues with her MVLE Zoom classes.

“She has come such a long way with the support of her job coaches,” Sharon said.

Rachel has an intellectual disability, and is bipolar. Since the family resettled in Alexandria, VA after Sharon’s husband, a retired colonel, was stationed at the Pentagon, Rachel has been hospitalized five times as a result of psychotic episodes. Each time, MVLE was there to support her.

“Her job coaches always stood behind her,” Sharon said. “They visited her, supported her, and wrote letters. They let her know that her job was secure and would be waiting for her. The MVLE support system never let her down.”

Adds Rachel: “They made me feel so good, and so important.”

As a mom and a teacher, Sharon is deeply grateful for the ways in which MVLE supports people with intellectual disabilities and co-occurring conditions. “MVLE believes that their clients can learn. They don’t see a ceiling. They believe that people always have the ability to grow and expand their knowledge. MVLE lives that, and it shows. Each time Rachel got out of the hospital she would go right back to work, no matter how many jobs skills she had to relearn. They were always supportive and never stopped believing in her. They strive for all of their clients to be leaders.”

Rachel is doing great these days, and is looking forward to working again as soon as possible. And she is really excited about one day getting her own apartment!

Sharon, a special education teacher for grades 4-6, has some advice for parents of children with intellectual disabilities who may not know where to turn for help.

“Find community resources early. Community based services (CSB) are usually found in all counties, and can connect families with many resources to help their children and families.

“I also connected with Rachel’s special education teachers regularly. I always let them do their job so I could be Rachel’s mom. I trusted her special education teachers, coaches, and their thoughts on what would benefit Rachel. That way, I was mom.

Try to remember, and this is a hard one when times get tough, our kids are always learning, and are capable of learning. They just learn differently, and that is what makes our world go around…right! Don’t sell them short. They will never stop learning on their level.

Help them to be okay with having a disability, and to understand and believe that they are important!

Lastly, practice advocacy skills that relate to real-life situations. This will help your children tell doctors, dentists, teachers, or bus drives—anyone, really–that they need help, or simple steps to understand directions. For example, before Rachel received her first COVID shot, we practiced at home for her to ask for instructions that are short, slow and simple.”

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CoWorx Staffing Services Donates $10,000 to Fedcap Inc.

CoWorx Staffing Services Donates $10,000 to Fedcap Inc.

 

Tim Harnett, CEO of CoWorx, and Serena M. Powell, Executive Director of Fedcap Inc., Maine.

Fedcap Inc. has received a $10,000 donation from CoWorx Staffing Services.

Fedcap Inc’s recruitment, preparation and placement of participants from their Southern and Central Maine Opportunity Centers led to well-paying jobs for parents who are out of work. Our partnership with CoWorx Staffing Services made this happen. And, the company’s $10,000 gift will help families with emergency or unforeseen situations, ensuring that they don’t miss work.

For more, read the article in the Biddleford-Saco-Oob Courier.

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